Rebirth and Second Chances

The path out of the [Forest of Nightmare Plants] became more a slog through bramble and obstruction than anything else. Balfour and his Azi-fey were able to scout clearings and trails when possible, and the mapping function the System had given me allowed us to keep heading in the same direction.

We encountered wildlife, mostly birds, but the forest was quick to pounce on anything that came within range. My enhanced senses allowed me to feel the divine life force that was consumed whenever an animal was killed, only for it to reincarnate seconds later, confused but more attentive to its surroundings.

The forest was part of Asgard, which meant the animals and plants would be considered godlings. They had no [Domain], unless you considered the [Forest of Nightmare Plants], as a collective to be a [Domain]. But they were infused with the energies of the realm, making their connection to Asgard similar to the connection of the Demi-Fey to [Fairy].

"The border is close," Balfour informed me after one of his Azi-Fey had come flying back to report.

The Azi-Fey seldom interacted with me, it wasn't that they were afraid of me; it was more that they knew they owed their existence to my actions. If I hadn't woken the Sithern that gave them life, they would never have become. The trait all Dem-Fey shared as the manifestation of [Fairy] would have never been realized. [Fairy] had responded to my need and used Balfour as a template to create their species.

To the Azi-Fey, Balfour was the progenitor, the head of their line, King in all but name. I was something else, and my transformation to Demi-god status only highlighted the difference. They weren't afraid of me; they were in awe of me, and their faith grew with each passing day, joining the essence of the Divine that I was already pulling from the Yeti.

"What does the next zone look like?" I asked, ignoring the actions of the Azi-Fey that had reported. I had already become immune to any embarrassment I might have felt at their response.

"A chasm of fire," Balfour replied. "They noticed a great rift in the earth that bisects the land east from west. There are pools of fire that have formed, each pool fed by a river of lava that flows within the chasm."

"Any signs of life?

"Fire elementals, salamanders, and what appears to be a Horehound that is wreathed in flames," he reported.

"A Fire aspected Horehound? I wonder how that happened. Horehounds are an ice-aspected plant, their aura of frost protecting them from predators."

"The Azi-Fey aren't positive it is a Horehound. They reported the similarities between the two plants. Once they created an illusion for me to observe what they were describing, was I able to agree the two plants were similar," Balfour explained.

The Azi-Fey enjoyed the collective memory of the Aziza, but the lack of experience would take centuries for them to really understand and grasp the significance of the memories they shared.

"I think I will gather a few samples of this plant," I mused. "The fire affinity might make for some interesting alchemy discoveries. That is if it can be domesticated and cultivated."

I wasn't worried about the fire that ran rampant in the next zone, not with Beleros' and Cyronax's bloodline coursing through my veins. But I hadn't considered how that heat would affect my companions. As the trail we were following finally opened, we stepped out of the forest to be greeted by a landscape out of hell.

The Azi-Fey were exploring cautiously, and even with flight giving them enough distance from the land not to burst into flame, they were still being hurt. Charred wings and burns proliferated, only their Sidhe healing abilities allowing them to survive the hellscape the Forest had opened into. Without that ability, they would have been incinerated the second they stepped out of the forest.

I moved forward, stepping into the inferno and embracing the fire, meeting it with a fire of my own. The two flames seemed to test each other, a flickering dance of flames that lasted long enough that the flames from the gorge and my own become unidentifiable.

[Flaming Chasm Discovered]

The System message came with an expansion of my map. The fog of war for this area was removed and I was able to see just how large this zone was. I spent a few moments examining the map before deciding it was time to shift directions and head northwest.

I would pass through Jotunheim, but I could use that to my advantage, or at least I hoped I could.

While [Beleros Aura] and the fires from the [Flaming Chasm] were fighting for dominance, I released [Cyronax Aura], a blast of cold that fought against the heat in the air. I did so reflexively, never even stopping to consider if I could.

I hadn't been able to before. I had been limited to one [Aura] at a time, but the changes that had infused my soul and mind had made my control over my abilities easier. I now had the ability to adapt my magics, to use them in methods I had never been able to before.

I added a hint of [Illusion] to each [Aura] furthering my control of the magic and created a shield that extended far enough to protect my companions. The new [Aura] was layered, the outside competing with the fires of the [Flaming Chasm], the inner [Aura] reflecting a refreshing balm of cold. Both [Auras] were now tainted with [Illusion] giving them a visible aspect they had lacked before.

I extended the [Aura} as widely as I could, giving some respite to the Azi-Fey in the process.

Ag was unaffected by the fire and heat; her recent evolution had allowed her to share my elemental affinities. She could attack and defend using each element or ignore them. She hadn't bothered embracing any of the elements completely until now. Her transformation from the sleek Cu Sithe formed from shadow was replaced by rivulets of fire and ice, just as beautiful, and just as dangerous.

There was a place for [Shadow] in a realm of fire. Those places existed, but they were few and far between. Even the deepest crevices and nooks within the chasm wall allowed [Shadow] respite from the fire and light.

Tia, on the other hand, sighed in relief as [Cyronax Aura] lowered the temperature to something suitable for a nice spring day. She, like the Azi-Fey, could have survived the fire, but it would have put her healing abilities to the test. I did wonder briefly why the changes that affected Ag so completely were more constrained with her. Perhaps her role as [Rank: Queen] of [Cait Sith] had limited what changes she could endure.

It wasn't worth testing their limits, and without the aura to chill the air, it would have been better for them to retreat to [Cait Sith] until I'd passed beyond this area.

"Tia, you're sure you can be away from the kittens for an extended period? I'm not sure how long this is going to take," I wondered curiously.

"I am not really a way from them. I am in both places at once," Tia explained. She had mentioned this before, but had refused to expound upon that explanation. Perhaps she was getting annoyed at my constant worry that she was here when her kittens needed her.

"I have invoked [Time] to further enhance the time distortion between here and there. Only a moment will pass in [Cait Sith] until I return and [Time] is released."

"You've placed [Cait Sith] in a timeout?" I joked, relieved to know that Tia wasn't abandoning her kittens to help me. "There are a few ambassadors and courtiers on Talahm I'd like to send to timeout. I wonder if your father would agree."

"I think you might be surprised at what he would do, especially with the advantages I have gained by bonding with you," she said, flaring a spark of [Divine Fairy] across our bond and reminding me that she was only here at the whims of [Oracle] and her father.

He might not have known what would happen, but the [Oracle] would have. She was the most prescient individual I knew of, and that included those gifted with the sight across every Pantheon.